Toothbrush



W. M. CASSEDY.

TOOTHBRUSH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1920.

1,405,279, v Patented Jan. 31, 1922 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. CASSEDY, OF CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY.

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Specification of Letters Yatent. Patented J an. 31, 1922.

Application filed December 4, 1920. Serial No. 428,351.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. CAssnDY, a citizen of the United States,residing-at Cape May, in the county of Cape May and State of New Jersey,have invented new and useful Improvements in Toothbrushes, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device to be a substituted for the ordinarytooth brush, the

general object of the invention being to provide a device of thisnature, so constructed that it can beused to gently massage the gums andother portions of the mouth by a combined pressure and suction action,thus restoring diseased gums to a healthy condition, keeping healthygums in normal condition and removing particles of food and' otherforeign matter from between the teeth and polishing theteeth. The deviceis also constructed to retain the medicine, cleansing material or thelike at its point of contact with the gums and teeth so that but-a smallquantity of the medicine or other material need be used and that allparts of the gums and teeth will be subjected to the action. of themedicine or-other material.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for preventing a'too severe vacuum from being created which might injure thegums.

A still further object of the invention is to so form the parts that thecleaning parts will conform themselves to the parts of the mouth andteeth with which they are engaging so as t thoroughly clean and massagethe parts with which they are contacting.

A still further object of the invention is to so form the parts of thedevice that there is nothing to bruise or otherwise injure the gums andto round all corners and edges to prevent the accumulation offoreign'matter.

This invention also consists in certain other features of constructionand in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to behereinafter fully described,'illustrated in the accompanying drawingsand specifically pointed out in the appended claims;

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings wherein like characters denote likeorcorresponding parts throughout the several views,- and in which Figure 1is anelevation of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view.

.from which tooth brushes are usually formed- In carryin out. myinventionl secure a block 3, pre erably of spongy rubber, to the head 2and to this block I secure a strip 4, of harder material than that fromwhich block 3 is made. This strip is formed with or has secured theretothe projections 5 which are of slightly tapered form, as shown in thedrawings. Said projections are spaced apart as shown and have cupshapeddepressions 6 formed in' their outer ends, the edges around thedepressions being rounded. Notches 7 are formed in said edges forpreventinga too severe vacuum action by the depressions.

It will be seen that the block 3 will act as a cushion and will permitthe tapered projections to adjust themselves to fit that part of themouth with which they are in contact, thus permitting the edges aroundthe cups to enter the spaces between the teeth to thori oughly clean theteeth and,to engage the gums to produce a vacuum so that when the brushis moved a massaging action will be set up thus improving thecirculation of blood to the gums. The notches 7 will prevent the vacuumaction being too strong, thus preventing injury. to the ums or thepulling of the gums away from t e teeth.

After the different portions of the brush are assembled they arevulcanized so asto make a unitary structure.

My brush can be made smaller than the ordinary bristle brush and iscompact. All the exposed surfaces are smoothed and the projections arerounded so that the brush is easily cleaned and there are no roughsurfaces or the like to hold germs and 'foreign matter. The depressionsin the projections will hold the powder, paste or medicine being usedand they will evenly distibute it upon the teethand gums. Thus only asmall quantity of the paste or medicine need be used as'it is not wastedas in the ordinary brushes These cups will also force the medicine orpaste into the spaces between the same time gently massaging the. partsso as to increase the circulation, thus keeping the mouth in healthycondition and greatly benefitting diseased mouths.

The notches 7 also facilitate the deposition of the cleaning materialused as they insure the passage of said material or fluid from thedepressions. Attention is called to the factthat the depressions holdthe cleaning material or fluid 7 just at the point where it is needed.

If itis desired to form a vacuum the brush is pressed hard enough a.ainst the teeth and gums to close the notches is not desired the brush'is pressed lightly against the teeth and gums so as to not close saidnotches. When the brush is pressed upon an oval or an irregular shapedsurface, such asa' tooth, the walls of the depression in each rojectionare drawn together, rather than be forced apart. When the brush ispressed against the teeth the projections will sink into the softcushion 3 and they will be drawn together, rather than be forced apart,the projections assuming the position shown in Figure 5.

In cleaning tarter from the teeth a powder' containing abrasive materialis used and with my brush this powder is held in the;

depressions and passes over the walls of the depressions at the surfaceof the teeth just i the walls of the recesses having notches ,My deviceis especially useful in treating but if the vacuumdiseased gums as themassaging action pro the same time increase the circulation of" blood tothe gums so that the gums are soon restored to a healthy condition.Healthy gums are also kept in normal condition by this massaging actionand particles of food .and other foreign matter on the teeth and gumsand between the teeth are quickly removed by my device.

I'desire it to be understood that I may make changes in the constructionand in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, providedthat such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A device of the class described com.-

prising a carrying member, a cushion Ofresil1ent material thereon,a.plurality' of projections on the cushion spaced apart and each formedof slightly resilient material with a shallow recess in its end forminga vacuum 011p.

her connected therewith, a plurality of projections formed of flexiblematerial connected with t e cushion, said projections being' of solidconstruction with shallow reces'ses in their ends and taperingoutwardly,

therein. v a

testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

j WILLIAM M. oAssEnr.

